KARDEX- What is it and when is it used

[MissDilini]

Hey guys what is meant by KARDEX? And is it used in hospitals, on placement, in what situations

I am a div2 nursing student of 3 months. Just began the constant learning process:P

Can you please help me with this.

Thanks:)

[SonorityGenius]

In our hospital Kardex is used as a "summary" of a patient's care plan, treatment, IV flow rates, etc. it is very convinient to use in nurse-to-nurse shift reports on patients..

[RNTutor, BSN, RN]

"Kardex" is actually a brand name, I believe, for a particular system that helps organize and summarize pt's care. It's become a brand name the way that "Kleenex" is for tissues. Because of this, I think now it is frequently used to refer to ANY system in place to summarize pt care, whether it is paper or computer, regardless of whether it is actually a Kardex-brand system.

[spritez]

The kardex is kind of a patient cheat sheet. It lists all the important information to get a quick summary of your patient's needs. From my experience in clinicals, it has your client's basic biographical information, sensory deficit & disability info, diagnoses, daily meds, mobility/immobility, allergies, etc.

[nursel56]

I had no idea they were still used! Love them. Rapidly becoming a dinosaur, I think. The idea was that they were handy, kept the actual chart from being a hideous mess of cross-outs and re-dos, and solved the problem of nurses stymied by the chart going to a yonder dictating room escorted by 11 of it's friends and a doctor who doesn't really give much thought to who else might need the chart to function.

They were written in pencil. They had lined columns for meds, treatments, diet, adls, and nursing goals. Since computers pretty much eliminate the hideous paper mess problem, only small facilities without EMR will need them. R.I.P. Kardex. Ours looked like the pic below, except ours were yellow. It's from an ad, but it's discontinued.

[jblemire]

i am doing research on kardex, that we can revamp and put on the computer. Does anybody have any samples I can use and any suggestions. This is a project for late career nurses to get a break from the floor. This is day 1 and Im not sure what I am doing , but if anybody has any resources that I can access , I would really appreciate it.

[bigsick_littlesick]

nursel56 said:

I had no idea they were still used! Love them. Rapidly becoming a dinosaur, I think. The idea was that they were handy, kept the actual chart from being a hideous mess of cross-outs and re-dos, and solved the problem of nurses stymied by the chart going to a yonder dictating room escorted by 11 of it's friends and a doctor who doesn't really give much thought to who else might need the chart to function.

They were written in pencil. They had lined columns for meds, treatments, diet, adls, and nursing goals. Since computers pretty much eliminate the hideous paper mess problem, only small facilities without EMR will need them. R.I.P. Kardex. Ours looked like the pic below, except ours were yellow. It's from an ad, but it's discontinued.

Yep! My hospital still uses them but we're supposed to be getting EPIC system next year (which I'm ridiculously excited over). In EPIC, you can click on Full PER and everything pops up, like an e-Kardex. I love it ?

Our Kardex's are kind of in SBAR format. CC, PMH, ht/wt, check boxes for core measures, isolation status, allergies, code status, diet, activity, if they can go off tele monitor, daily labs drawn, if they're on K/mg/phos protocol, IV site/soln/rate, exams and tests done or to be done, family member phone #s, anticipated d/c date...

[Seasoned]

:cool:We have the "EPIC" EMR at my facility. If you have that system I can help with how you can replace getting virtually the same information though it is slightly time consuming (about 20 min for 23 patients).

1st - CREATE the actual kardex format the same way you develop your personal patient list. EPIC will print out just your assigned patients or the whole unit, you choose. The kardex listing can contain most basic things, e.g., Room No. Patient, Age, Sex, Primary Problem (admitting dx), Pending D/C Date, Length of Stay, and Admission Comments (i.e., a blank space to write in stuff) of each individual patient on one sheet as well as the total number of patients and the time the data was assembled. Label your new listing "kardex" so you know what it contains. Patients from your list is dragged to the kardex title. All appear! Or drag the Unit Patients to the kardex title to get the whole unit. Ah... sorry it is an individual patient name drag.

2nd - RESEARCH with that matrix printed out (sorry only in portrait set-up style) you can write in what you need that is lacking. To get the latter information you have to go into each individual patient profile under "Patient Summary" or "History" in the menu . For example I am in a psych specialty, the primary diagnosis is only psych. It is dangerous nursing not being aware of the medical (physical) dx as well so we have to write it in. After you open a patient's medical record, vertically down the left side is the menu. We click on History (or Patient Sumary) and get the other stuff we write in: diabetic, seizure d/o, fractured arm, etc.

3rd - SAVE that original information matrix as your personal kardex via copier print-out. That will be a copy you can write shift notes on then discard it at the end of shift report or give it to your relief nurse. The next time you work, print off another copy for shift notes...etc.

:devil:Our kardex was snatched away in the night by an unauthorized supervisor who apparently learned that leadership felt the "kardex" was outdated and she wanted to bully staff. Because of our mileu setting we can not do bedside shift report with a WOW which is all the rage! But even with the info on the screen you have to jot notes and reminders on paper in your shift report as an on-coming nurse. Our charge nurse has to give report on all 23 patients to the Treatment Team in less than 30 min from shift report. The above process is what has saved us from a dangerous shift report where the off-going shift nurse never gathered some detailed information external to EPIC and can not convey to the on-coming nurses, and/or doctors (especially if they do not know any of the patients!) basic things in shift report.

:cheeky:I created the above survival tool and colleagues are extremely grateful! It is supposedly temporary until Informatics creates something exclusively from EPIC in a simple print-out. Otherwise tons of toner and reams of paper is being used as individual nurses print excessive information from the electronic files to get the basic clinical information they need. Contact me if you want me to walk you through it. Or PLEASE contact me or post if you can improve on my system!!

[mitch]

Question for username seasoned. Do you know if EPIC has created an integrated KARDEX yet? how do I do this?